According to CNN Money, the Republican contender described the CBO as "a reactionary socialist institution which does not believe in economic growth, does not believe in innovation and does not believe in data that it has not internally generated."

-Objective, nonpartisan, and timely analyses to aid in economic and budgetary decisions on the wide array of programs covered by the federal budget and
-The information and estimates required for the Congressional budget process.

Gingrich's comment drew criticism from various sources. Per CNN Money, "Douglas Holtz-Eakin, a former CBO director and Republican, called the Gingrich allegation 'ludicrous.'" Stan Collender, whom CNN describes as "a former Capitol Hill aide who worked for the House and Senate Budget Committees," had some harsh words for Gingrich, saying that the candidate "should know better, and he should be ashamed of himself." Collender called the CBO "bipartisan" and said they are "the best group as analysts I've ever met."

Political Correction's Jamison Foser explains that Gingrich has not always been so critical of the CBO. Foser cites, among other examples, a 1995 press conference during which Gingrich discussed working on a balanced budget. "We did it honestly, using the Congressional Budget Office which was tough," said Gingrich. Foser also points to a Los Angeles Times story from 1995, also involving budget talks, in which Gingrich, who was Speaker of the House at the time, "declared that the agreement on the use of CBO numbers was a significant step." He is reported to have said, "There is absolute agreement that everything that will be discussed starting tomorrow will have been scored by CBO."

Gingrich did not reserve the "socialist" label for the CBO. As HuffPost's Jon Ward reports, the GOP candidate also took a jab at his rival Mitt Romney by arguing in a proposal released on Monday that health care mandates at the state or federal level lead to "socialized medicine."

Gingrich's CBO criticism comes on the same day that he proposed his alternative plan to Social Security. AP reports: